CF carrier parent and considering surrogacy

Hi there! My name is Sarah and with my husband we are considering surrogacy but we have some questions. My husband is a carrier of Cystic Fibrosis… There are some cases of CF in his family, but he’s just a carrier. We are completely aware that there is some chance that he passes it to our offspring. I’m healthy, but due to my advanced age and the poor quality of my eggs I cannot get pregnant, so we’ve been considering surrogacy with donor eggs and his own sperm.
But what we want now is to make sure that our surrogate baby will not have CF. Is it possible for the surrogate to pass it to the fetus too?
Thanks for your help!!!!!

Dear Sarah,

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a disease caused by a mutation in the gene that codifies the CFTR protein. It is a recessive mutation, which means that is is necessary for both parents to be carriers of CF for the baby to inherit both copies with the mutation.

If you are using donor eggs, there’s no reason for you to be concerned. Girls who become egg donors are pre-screened before becoming egg donors, including karyotype testing, infectious diseases, and common chromosomal abnormalities. Cystic Fibrosis is considered to be a common chromosomal abnormality, so you can rest assured that she will not be a carrier. Anyways, before getting started with surrogacy, my advice is that you make sure that she’s been screened for CF. If she’s not, you have a 50/50 chance that your child is a carrier, and another 50/50 chance that he or she is not. The good news is that they will not develop the disease, but just be carriers.

As for the gestational surrogate, you can rest assured as well. There is no transmission of genetic material to the embryo even if she carries it in her womb. For this reason, it is not necessary for her to be screened for this chromosomal abnormality, but just for infectious and viral diseases.

I hope I have been able to help,

Best!